No Experts Allowed

Job 1:1; 2:1-10

A modern proverb claims that college students can either sleep, receive good grades, or have a social life but can only pick two. In Job, one can either believe in a retributive God, Job's righteousness, or Job's suffering, but can only pick two. This episode roughly outlines Job, as does the Revised Common Lectionary over the next 4 weeks. Jonathan and Seth discuss the role of the Adversary, Job's wife, and pain's complexities. They end equally as confused as Job, a biblically supported place to be.

Esther 7:1-10

In Esther, the king signs an edict so that on the 13th day of Adar, Jews throughout Persia would be killed. Esther's bravery prevents this from happening, the Jews are allowed to fight back, and the orchestrator of the massacre dies instead. Thus, the book presents the origin of the Jewish festival of Purim. Jonathan and Seth cover the story in more detail since this is the podcast's first dive into Esther. They also discuss how people commemorate anxiety-inducing experiences (or worse) and how they later reshape that story.

Mark 9:30-37

Of the Gospels, Mark casts the disciples in the poorest light. In this week's passage, for instance, they argue about who is the greatest. When Jesus asks them what they're talking about, "they kept quiet" (9:34). This silence allows Jesus to speak about what accounts for greatness, welcoming little children, and the inclusive character of the kin-dom. Jonathan and Seth discuss first-century views on children compared to today and how welcoming a child would have been radically countercultural in a world that necessitated productivity to ensure survival.

James 3:1-12

Using a series of analogies, James notes the relatively small tongue has oversized power. One's tongue can utter evil one moment and seemingly praise God in the next (3:9-10). Like the tongue, however, the good and the bad are entangled when people speak truth that is difficult to hear. Jonathan and Seth consider how uncomfortable truths can be difficult to receive and may also be liberating. Some uncomfortable truths even illuminate what one has been worshiping and reorient one to God. Despite the tongue's power, God's relentless love can overcome the harshest human speech.

Mark 7:24-29

Perhaps more than any other gospel story, Jesus' encounter in Mark with the Syrophoenician woman paints Jesus in a poor light. In a surface-level reading, Jesus appears to compare the woman and Gentiles to dogs. Her sassy retort that "even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs" (7:28) appears to change Jesus' opinion of her so that he heals her daughter. Scholars have debated this text, and Jonathan and Seth discuss some of the proposed interpretation options.  One option sees the woman as a theologian who understands who Jesus is and what Jesus can do, which leads to a conversation about who does theology and who is excluded as if they were a Gentile of Syrophoenician origin.

James 1:17-27

Martin Luther's distaste for James neither prevents the lectionary from including it nor Jonathan and Seth from discussing the book. James has historically received little attention or been disparaged because of its apparent differences with Paul's work. Jonathan and Seth, however, discuss what it looks like to read biblical texts and look for narrative and counter-narratives. The stories are not linear and do not contain one single arc, but evidence various viewpoints that may be compatible and sometimes not. This episode is as much about the art of reading sacred stories as it is about James.

Ephesians 6:10-20

The armor of God may have given strength to latent Jesus-followers. As a ragtag, small, minoritized group, protection would have sounded helpful. The author, however, states that battles fought with God’s armor are not physical ones; conflicts are against unseen enemies. Jonathan and Seth discuss how this can help Christians consider institutions and systems and prevent demonizing individuals.
 
They reference Bibleman, a video series that ran from 1995 through 2010. One may view the humorous armor of God sequence here.

John 6:51-58

After following Jesus and being amazed when 5,000 are fed on the shoreline, Jesus comments that "If you don't eat the flesh of the son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves (Jn. 6:53) cause many to stop following him. This phrase and the early Jesus-followers' practice of communion caused the emerging Church to be called cannibals and barbarians by outsiders. Jonathan and Seth discuss what it looks like to follow Jesus even when his words are mysterious and often countercultural.

Ephesians 4:25-5:2

Scholars debate the audience of Ephesians. Since little in the letter addresses a specific congregational issue, it may have been written to Ephesus or Jesus-followers elsewhere. No matter the audience, the end of Ephesians is instructive: the author describes not only what not to do but also what one should do. Jonathan and Seth discuss how the Church has historically focused on rules without offering a corresponding, positive action.

Martin Luther's Small Catechism gets a shoutout, which can be found here.

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

The Revised Common Lectionary's compilers occasionally splice stories in unexpected places. They cut verses five through eight in this case because they were repetitive: the Israelites complain again. They are starving and lament the fact that there is nothing to eat in the wilderness. God responds by providing manna. The manna appears magically each morning, but the announcement of this new food supply catches Jonathan and Seth's attention.